March 6, 2008

You Take the Good, You Take the Bad…

There is a great deal of activity right now across America in the ongoing battle for LGBT Equality. I’d like to say that most of the news is positive but unfortunately that’s rarely the case. Nonetheless there have been some strides forward, and that is something for which to be grateful.

The Washington Senate just passed a Domestic Partnership Expansion Bill that will substantially increase the number of benefits and protections same-sex partners are eligible for.

After already passing the Washington State House 62-32 back in February, the Senate today voted to 29-20 to pass a bill that would add roughly 160 rights, responsibilities and protection to same-sex couples and their families.

Washington’s existing Domestic Partnership bill currently consists of about a dozen rights and responsibilities.

The attempt to provide same-sex couples in Maryland any type of unions is proving difficult. Legislators have been forced to water things down repeatedly, and now are reduced to providing very limited benefits that they don’t even know what to call. Why? Because many bigots can’t handle the notion of same-sex couples having Domestic Partnerships or Civil Unions as they “would weaken the institution of marriage”. I myself would like to suggest an institution for those people…

Concerned that they won’t be able to muster the votes for a comprehensive bill on same-sex unions this year, state lawmakers are considering a tactical shift toward legislation that would grant a number of rights to gay and lesbian couples but stop short of full-fledged marriage or civil unions.

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The same-sex marriage debate has divided the State House, hampering efforts to build a coalition behind one legislative approach. Many lawmakers say they are uncomfortable with equating same-sex relationships with marriage but that they could back a piecemeal approach to grant some protections to those couples.

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Some lawmakers contend that civil unions are tantamount to marriage and would tarnish the institution. Sen. Bryan W. Simonaire, an Anne Arundel County Republican, said he would not support legislation that grants rights based on sexual orientation, though he would consider some rights for unmarried couples regardless of gender. He noted that two elderly people might be in a committed relationship but decide not to marry.

“If we’re going to start down this path, we need to make sure we’re making a comprehensive policy that affects everyone,” he said. “Why would we carve out rights for one single group if we’re concerned about equal rights.”

What do you mean “carve out rights for one single group”? If same-sex couples could get married (and do all of the other things you take for granted) there would be no need to “carve out rights” for them in the first place. Did you ever think of that?

The Maryland Court of Appeals, in its opinion, identified nearly 340 Maryland laws that provide for benefits and rights conditioned on marital status.

Equality Maryland, in a separate report, has identified 425 Maryland statutes that rely on the definition of marriage or a legally recognized family relationship, including the right to make burial decisions, mutual responsibility for debts, the right to file joint income taxes and protections for children.

It is unclear which rights and benefits would be included in the alternative bill and what the same-sex relationships would be called, if anything. Raskin said some suggestions that have been floated are domestic or household partners and mutual or reciprocal beneficiaries.

Strides have been made in Texas politics as four openly gay candidates are now advancing past the primaries to their runoff and general elections.

Lupe Valdez, known for being the first female, Latina and lesbian sheriff to ever hold the office of Dallas County Sheriff, took a big step toward re-election by defeating three opponents in her Democratic primary. More impressively, she won more than 50 percent of the vote, avoiding a potential runoff election.

Rosemary Lehmberg earned the most votes in the Democratic Primary in her bid to become Travis County District Attorney. Lehmberg got 35 percent of the vote, while her nearest opponent received 31 percent. Outgoing District Attorney Ronnie Earle, known for his prosecution of Tom Delay, has endorsed her. Lehmberg faces a runoff election for the Democratic nomination.

Additionally, two of Victory’s judicial candidates–Steve Kirkland (215th Civil District Court) and Andres Pereira (190th Civil District Court)–won their Democratic primaries and will advance to the Nov. 4 general election.

In Iowa an attempt to force a vote on a same-sex marriage ban failed. Although the measure had failed to gain approval in a House committee this year, Chris Rants (R) thought requiring a vote on it would achieve his desired results. He was wrong.

Rants tried a procedural vote that would have moved the measure, House Joint Resolution 8, out of committee and before the full House for a possible debate.

Rants’ maneuver failed on a 46-49 vote, with majority Democrats defeating it.

Rants said he was disappointed some Democrats, seven by his count, who have supported a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the past did not vote along with him this time.

“If those seven had voted with us, it would have passed, but I guess they will have to explain to their constituents why they flip-flopped on this issue,” Rants said.

Because the vote was a procedural vote, no debate was allowed, although the rhetoric surrounding the gay marriage issue has grown more heated in recent weeks at the Statehouse.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, said Democrats felt the issue should be settled in the courts before the Iowa Legislature might take action.

“It was primarily done to generate press, which I think it certainly served that purpose,” McCarthy said after the vote.

The issue currently is before the Iowa Supreme Court.

My, my, my. Some people are so anxious to enshrine bigotry into their state constitution that they have to grandstand in order to do it. Would it really kill Rants to wait for the Iowa Supreme Court to make the decision, or is he afraid the court might decide against bigotry?

So that’s the state of affairs across the nation for the present. It’s no surprise in my opinion that the debate over same-sex unions seems to be coming to a crescendo all at once. After all, we have a presidential election in a few months. Should the Democrats lose this one again, it can be conveniently be blamed on the LGBTs, as usual. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Posted by: Buffy